Trapped at Isengard
by Rivan Warrioress
Summary: AU where Merry and Pippin make it to Isengard and Saruman discovers thay don't have the ring.  To make things worse, Pippin has gone quiet and Merry is worrying.  A quiet Pippin is never good.  My first LOTR story. REWRITTEN
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Merry and Pippin lay huddled together in the cold, damp cell that they occupied at Isengard. They had arrived five long days earlier, and had since then been subject to Saruman's wrath that they did not carry the ring. Their clothes had been taken from them to be searched, and had then been returned to them. The two hobbits had been whipped and tortured by the men and orcs in Saruman's service. In the beginning, they had lived in constant terror of death, but even in the short time that had past they had come to long for death to fall upon them. They spent the little time they had alone huddled in each others arms, trying to comfort each other, but secretly wishing that the suffering would end.

Merry looked around the cell for what seemed to be the thousandth time, searching for some weakness in the wall. Pippin was sleeping, and Merry was reluctant to wake him, the younger hobbit had been getting beaten and tortured much worse than Merry had been, and had few moments for rest. Merry shifted himself slightly, trying to get into a more comfortable position, but he was chained to a wall, and chains were not long enough to allow either hobbit to move freely. Merry gave up and leaned against the cold wall. He ran through his memories of what had happened since that fateful day when their Fellowship had broken, and Boromir had fallen. Merry shuddered at the memory of Boromir leaning up against a tree with those three arrows protruding from his chest, causing Pippin to whimper in pain, and instead tried to think about the other members of the Fellowship and what they would be doing. Where would they be? Merry tried to recall a map that he had been shown back at Rivendell, and where the remaining members of the Fellowship should be at this stage, but he was left vague, as he couldn't remember where the Fellowship had been going to go after Parth Galen. Pippin stirred weakly beside Merry as a loud thud was heard from the stone corridor outside the cell.

"What time is it, Merry?" he asked his voice croaky.

"I'm not sure, it should be about mid morning again, but it's difficult to tell." Merry whispered, looking at his young companion. Pippins youthful face was much thinner that it had ever been before, and their were bags underneath his eyes. Merry smiled, trying to reassure Pippin.

"It will be alright Pippin, you'll see. We'll be saved, I promise."

"By who? Aragorn and the others will have gone with Frodo and Sam, if they survived the attack. Our situation is much better than their's"

"Have faith in our friends, Pippin" Merry told him, raising Pippin's chin slightly, "They are alive; I can feel it, Frodo and Sam too. We'll see first hand what Saruman's reaction to his Master's downfall will be, because we'll be alive to see that too, and then the others will come, upon Sauron's destruction."

"That really isn't all that reassuring, Merry" Pippin grinned weakly, before beginning to cough. Merry inwardly frowned. He suspected that during Pippin's last beating, his friend had sustained a broken rib, and he feared greatly for Pippins life. When Pippin's coughing had subsided, Merry looked over his cousin's battered body, some of which was covered with the ripped remains of the smaller Hobbit's clothing. He could see deep welts that had been left there by the whips of Saruman's men and Orcs, as well as dark fist and boot shaped bruises that decorated the Hobbits abdomen, back, and torso. Merry shook his head, tears sliding down his face.

"Pip, I'm so sorry, I should never have let you get hurt like this." He whispered. Pippin shook his head.

"It's not your fault, it's mine. I should never have left Rivendell, Lord Elrond said that much, but I insisted on coming. Poor Gandalf was the first to pay the price, then Boromir. It's my fault they both died," tears were sliding down Pippins face now, "Gandalf was right, I'm a 'Fool of a Took', and I went and got us caught, it's my fault, Merry." Pippin sobbed and leaned his head back against his wall, while Merry shook his head.

"No, Pippin, that's not true. You're not a 'Fool of a Took,' you are my friend, and It's not your fault that any of this happened"

"Merry, can you state any one occasion where I did something good for the Fellowship?" Pippin asked, his face serious, though tears still trickled from his eyes.

"I can recall many occasions where you did something good for the Fellowship. You were there to help us laugh. You made us laugh when we were at our lowest points. You were the heart and spirit of the Fellowship. You took our minds of what needed to be done, and I can tell you that what you did, it meant more to Frodo than a whole lot of other things." Merry told Pippin, tears running his face once more. Pippin sobbed.

"Merry, don't try to weigh me down with honors. I don't deserve it"

"What? Pippin, you do deserve it!"

"STOP IT," Pippin yelled with surprising force, "Merry, I'm dying. One of the Orcs scratched me with a dagger, and I think it was poisoned. I need to prepare for this. I'm going to die" Pippin whispered the last sentence, while Merry's jaw hung open.

"Pippin, your, oh no" he gasped and fresh tears ran down his face. The door of the cell opened, revealing a small, sallow faced man. Merry recognized him as Grima Wormtongue, an aid of Saruman's. A large, Southern looking men, similar to Bill Ferny's friend in Bree, and many others they had seen in Isengard, entered the cell behind him and unchained Pippin. Pippin weakly struggled, but it was no use. Merry could only watch as his best friend was carried out of the cell and the door boomed shut.

**A.N. Ohhh, cliffe! I really didn't intend on making Pippin so depressed in this fic, but that's just the way it turned out. Please Review **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After what seemed like hours later, Pippin was returned to the cell. He was unconscious, and Merry noticed with a pang that he was covered in a fresh layer of wounds. He couldn't tell which of the cuts had introduced the poison to Pippin's bloodstream, but he was certain of its existence. When they were once again alone, Merry listened to Pippin's breathing grow progressively more shallow and rapid, and Merry was sure that if he felt for a pulse that it would be very weak and unsteady. Shivering slightly from a cold feeling in the pit in his stomach, Merry huddled closer to Pippin, his thoughts running wild. What if Pippin died before they were saved? What would he tell Frodo? What would happen to Pippin's body? Would it be honored, or desecrated? Merry shuddered at the thought and began to whisper in Pippin's ear about the Shire, about their youth, and about stealing vegetables from Farmer Maggot's farm. Merry smiled when he thought about Pippin's love of food, especially mushrooms. Gently, he leaned over and kissed Pippins brow.

"You'll be able to eat all the Mushrooms you want, soon, Pip" he whispered. He cuddled closer to Pippins still form and closed his eyes, deciding to try and get some rest.

Merry was awoken soon afterwards by the door being thrust open by the same guard as before. Grima Wormtongue followed the guard into the room and sneered at the hobbits.

"It seems the White Lord has some unwanted guests, and he wishes you to entertain them," he told Merry.

"My friend is sick, dying even. Can't you leave us alone?" Merry yelled, suprising himself at how angry it sounded..

"Your friend's state of health is the least of my master's concerns" Grima countered, turning his back on the hobbits and walking away. Another guard came in, and Merry struggled as he was unchained and lifted over the man's shoulder. They were carried out of the dungeon area of the tower and up into Saruman's study, where they were dumped onto the cold, hard stone floor. Merry crawled over to Pippin and clutched his unconscious cousin's body closer, his eyes darting around the room. He finally spotted Saruman standing out on his balcony, looking down at something on the ground. Merry figured he must have made a noise, as Saruman suddenly spun around and glared at the two Hobbits lying on the floor.

"Halflings, come here," he boomed. Merry staggered to his feet, his own body in pain from his own torture. Pippin was still unconscious, so Merry bent over and picked him up, shocked at how light his cousin really was.

"My friend is sick, he could die. Can't you help him?" Merry pleaded as he reached the wizards side. Saruman snorted with contempt.

"Your friend's health is of little concern to me, Halfling" he told Merry, brushing past him to address Grima. Merry looked down for a moment, before carrying Pippin out onto the balcony. Merry's jaw dropped as he peeped over the railings. Trees were walking around out there, throwing rocks at the orcs and destructing everything in site. Merry silently cheered them on. A group of them were heading towards the dam wall, and Merry had little doubt as to what they were going to do. Merry smiled and was about to crouch down beside Pippins inert form, when he noticed a group of people standing on the remains of the wall that had once encircled Isengard. Squinting slightly, Merry noticed there was one who was shorter than others, and one whose silhouette was slightly elf shaped. Realization dawned on Merry. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, as well as some others who Merry couldn't recognize. Merry crouched down beside Pippin and squeezed his hand.

"Pippin, we're going to be saved, it's Strider and Legoals and Gimli. It's going to okay" Merry whispered. Pippin groaned in response and blearily opened his eyes.

"What?' he whispered.

"Strider, Legolas and Gimli, they've come to rescue us." Merry excitedly told him. Pippin frowned and sat up a little straighter, wincing at the movement

"Shouldn't they be off with Frodo and Sam? They need the help more than we do."

Merry shrugged, "I don't know, but they're here now." The two hobbits broke apart when they realized Saruman was watching them.

"Well, young Halflings, it seems you are familiar with our guests" he smirked as he spoke. Merry slowly stood up, pulling Pippin up beside him, not trusting himself to speak. Pippin grabbed onto the railing, biting his lip to keep himself from crying out. He glanced out across the ruins of Isengard and looked at the group standing on the wall. His jaw dropped slightly as he identified one of the strangers.

"Merry," he whispered, tugging at his friends sleeve. Merry shook him of and continued to gaze wearily at Saruman. Pippin tugged at Merry's sleeve harder.

"Merry, look out there, it's Gandalf!" Pippin almost yelled the last word, and Saruman directed his attention to the smaller hobbit. Merry also turned to face his cousin.

"What are you on about?" he asked, wondering if the poison was causing Pippin to hallucinate. Pippin had begun to loose his strength again, but he pointed out towards the strangers on the wall. Saruman had strode across the cold black marble floors and joined the Hobbits looking out across the destruction caused by the Ents. Merry gasped as he too recognized the figure clad all in white, while Saruman snarled as his eyes fell upon his enemy. Pippin chose that moment to laugh softly, causing more pain to shoot through his body.

"No offence, Mr. Saruman" he said in a quiet voice that reminded Merry forcibly of Sam, "But Gandalf looks so much better in white than you do"

Merry almost burst into laughter, he would've if the situation had not been so serious, Saruman turned towards Pippin, who had plastered a look of innocence over his face. When Saruman spoke, his voice shook with anger.

"You, Halfling, are a fool to make such comments" he told Pippin, before raising his hand. With all the force he could muster, Saruman struck Pippin in the head, causing the smaller Hobbit to slide to the ground, unconscious. Merry leapt up at this act of hostility against this cousin and jumped upon Saruman, who brushed him off like an insect. Merry fell to the floor with a thud, and as he felt his head connect with something hard, the world went dark. Saruman surveyed the two unconscious hobbits with indifference, before turning his back on them and leaving Wormtongue to drag their limp bodies off the balcony before they were washed away by the coming flood, he'd need them in his plan to push, drive the other "White Wizard" down into the depths of despair

**A.N. Oh, what's gonna happen next. Please review**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When Merry awoke it felt like the hammers of one thousend blacksmiths were pounding at his skull. He groaned in pain and tried to open his eyes, but was forced to close them again as it was too bright. Eventually, he was able to fully open his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the quiet. Before, the trees had been roaring and crashing around, and the orcs had been squealing, if that really is what you called the high pitched noise that orcs had a habit of making. Merry glanced towards the Balcony, and received his answer. From where he lay, Merry could see the once beautiful grounds of Isengard had been flooded. Merry let a momentary smile slide across his face as he thought of all Saruman's machinery that would've been destroyed by the floodwaters. A sudden thought of Pippin jerked Merry out of his happiness, until he spotted his cousin lying beside him, deathly still. Merry's heart leapt up into his throat as his hand shot out for Pippins wrist, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt the faint flutter of a pulse. Pippin was worse, but he was still alive. Merry whispered under his breath to his small cousin

"It'll be alright, Pip, it'll be okay. Gandalf and the others are coming, they can help you, I'll never leave you, Pip" he whispered over and over again. Merry noticed Saruman look up, obviously hearing the hobbits reassurance to his cousin.

"Ah, master Halfling, you are awake. You quiet took your time, and I do not like being kept waiting. You have been unconscious for almost a full day now. As you can see, your friends the Ents have made my garden into a water feature. Do you like it? I'm sure your friends do, they are coming over now, and then I'll have my fun" Saruman sneered, and Merry shuddered. His whole body ached, and Pippin was not getting any better. If the other members of the Fellowship were going to rescue them, he hoped they would hurry up

As it turned out, Saruman's plan was to trick Gandalf and the others that the two hobbits were already dead. Wormtongue removed the hobbit's grey, Elven cloaks and their key identifiers, Merry's jacket and Pippin's scarf. Merry watched, crouching next to Pippin as Saruman, ensuring the clothes were covered in a sufficient amount of blood, bundled the clothes all together and strode back towards the balcony, keeping the bundle in clear sight. Once upon the balcony, Saruman looked down upon his foe and leered at him

"You have come late, Gandalf the Grey" he sneered. Merry strained his ears to hear Gandalf's reply.

"The hobbits you have captive do not carry the ring, nor are they the key to gaining the ring, for it is beyond your reach."

"That is a pity" Saruman smirked, throwing the bundle of the hobbit's clothes at Gandalf. He missed, and the bundle splashed into the water. Merry bowed his head as he thought of what would be going through the kind wizard's mind, how much he had enjoyed a hobbit's presence.

Gandalf bit back a groan when he saw the bundle land in the water. The outer layer was obviously an elven cloak, and judging from the size of it, it could only be Merry or Pippin's. Legolas and Aragorn gently nudged their horses forward, and Aragorn reached down to fetch the floating bundle. He untied the bundle, letting Pippin's scarf, Merry's Jacket and both of the hobbit's cloaks flutter loosely. Gandalf bowed his head as he noticed the blood smatters that covered the clothing. His worse fears had been confirmed, the two young, brave hobbit's had fallen, never to return to their beloved Shire. Elrond had been right, they should never have come. From beside him, overcome with grief, Aragorn shouted up at Saruman.

"Return their bodies to us, you foul sorcerer of death. They were heroes, and deserve to be buried as such."

Saruman smirked at the ranger's anger. He turned, looking over his shoulder at Wormtongue, who nodded; grabbing both of the hobbits by the arm and dragging them from the room. Merry struggled as he was dragged, desperately trying to think of a way to reassure Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and their companions that they were still alive. At the last moment, Merry drew in his breath and yelled

"We're still alive. Help, HELP!" he screamed. Wormtongue clapped a hand over Merry's mouth, and Merry gave up trying to force his body to struggle further, allowing himself to drift into darkness


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Merry's respite was short lived, with him waking up in alarge room near the base of the tower. Merry felt himself being picked up and shoved roughly into a small container. As Merry gained awareness, he realized he was in an ale barrel, well made and water tight. He commenced struggling again and tried to climb out, but he was held in by one of Saruman's large men. Merry caught a quick glance of Pippin being placed in a similar looking barrel, before the lid of his own barrel was slammed down, forcing his head inside the enclosed space and engulfing him in darkness.

Their was a moment of silence as Saruman appeared to be conferring with someone else in the room with him. He turned back to the group of people at the bottom of the tower, his face triumphant. For a moment, Aragorn was sure he heard someone screaming "Help, Help" but then the voice was gone, carried of in the wind and hastily stopped. Aragorn paused slightly to ponder this. Had it just been his imagination, or had that voice sounded a lot like Merry's

Aragorn's attention was drawn when, quiet suddenly, a window was opened on the second level of the tower. Gandalf and Théoden were engaged with their discussion with Saruman, so he caught Legolas's eye and indicated the open window. Legolas raised his eyebrows, and Gimli muttered a curse under his breath as he saw the open window.

"What the devil is he up to now?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, friend" Legolas whispered, confirming Aragorn's suspicions, no one had a clue as to what Saruman was doing. Apparently Saruman knew what had drawn Aragorn's gaze, as he smirked proudly.

"Your questions will be answered soon. Be sure to pick the right one, as it is a matter of time. Release the barrels!" As he yelled the last sentence, Aragorn had a moment to ponder the wizards meaning, before he understood. Someone, presumably one of Saruman's underlings, began throwing barrels from the window. They fell about 6 feet, before splashing into the waist deep water. Aragorn counted each one as they fell. The count stopped at 40, the barrels floating at the foot of the tower. Then, something clicked in Aragorn's mind, what Saruman had said. 'PICK the RIGHT one, as it was a matter of TIME.' Saruman had been ordered to surrender the hobbits bodies. The mysterious cry for help he had heard earlier, it all fitted together. Realization dawned on Aragorn's face as he urged his horse forwards, towards the barrels.

"Legoalas, Gimli, help me. The hobbits are in there" he cried over his shoulder as he leapt from his horse wrenched the first barrel's lid open. Legolas was at his side in am moment, leaving Gimli perched up on the horse, holding the hobbits possessions gingerly, cradling them as if they were the hobbit's themselves. Gandalf, Théoden, and the other member of their party, Eomer, glanced across at the three hunters, searching for their friends amongst the barrels. Had the situation not been so serious, Gandalf would've laughed, the memory of Bilbo's 'barrel riding' escape from the Elven King fresh in his mind.

Aragorn tossed aside another empty barrel and surveyed the scene. Empty, lidless barrels were left thrown aside, while the ones who had not yet been opened floated in a crowded together group. A small part of Aragorn's mind was telling him the search was fruitless, that the hobbits would've suffocated or drowned before they got to them. Aragorn threw those thoughts aside, much like the empty barrels. They had checked over half of the barrels, and Aragorn glanced at Legolas and their eyes met. They would have to hurry. Aragorn strode forwards and grabbed the next barrel, almost dropping it when in moved. He pried the lid off; grimly noticing the seal was much tighter on this barrel. He wrenched the lid of and peered excitedly into the barrel

**A.N. Haha, evil laugh. Cliffy. He he. What's going to happen next? Please review**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Aragorn groaned with relief as he spotted a hobbit in the barrel. It was Merry, his face dirty and covered in bruises and scratches. Merry gave a whimper when he saw Aragorn.

"Strider" he cried. Aragorn leant down and picked up the small hobbit, cringing at the amount of blood his friend was covered in. Merry started to sob as Aragorn embraced him, carrying him over to Gimli, still mounted on his horse.

"Pippin's hurt, he sick, I think he's dying" Merry cried into Aragorn's shoulder. Aragorn closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to think of what Pippin might look like dead, his eyes open and vacant, the youthful energy and sparkle in his eye extinguished.

"He's strong, Merry, He'll be fine. We'll find him, and then we can leave" Aragorn reassured the small hobbit in his arms as they reached Gimli's side. Aragorn slid Merry into the saddle in front of Gimli, the dwarf tightly gripping Merry as he got his balance.

"Gimli, take Merry back to Gandalf, I'll look after Pippin when we find him" Aragorn told the dwarf, who awkwardly turned the horse around and rode it towards Gandalf. Aragorn stood for a moment, re gathering himself before commencing his search for Pippin. He turned and hurried back to the unchecked barrels, thankful that Legolas has continued to work throughout Merry's rescue. As they worked, side by side, checking the remaining barrels, Legolas broke the silence.

"How was Merry?' he asked. Aragorn stiffened slightly, guessing where this conversation was going.

"Scared, tired and upset." Aragorn shortly told him, hurling aside another barrel

"Was he injured badly?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't see anything too serious, but I'll need to check him later on."

"Did he say anything about Pippin?" Aragorn sighed and glanced over his shoulder, making sure he was alone. He didn't want to cause further panic.

"He said that Pippin was badly hurt, and quiet possibly dying. I think we should prepare for the worst, Pippin's strong, but even hobbits can only be pushed so far"

"Have faith, Aragorn. He will be fine" Legolas reassured his friend. Aragorn grunted and grabbed another barrel. Their were few left, less than 10 and the thought of Pippin lying, he life ebbing away in the bottom of one of them kept them going. Aragorn and Legolas were forced to separate when some began to drift away from them, and Aragorn was brought, wading through the waist deep water, back towards Legolas's side when his friend gave a triumphant cry. By the time Aragorn reached Legolas's side, Legolas had gently pulled Pippin's limp body from the barrel and was cradling him close to his chest. Aragorn felt at Pippin's throat, sighing in relief when he felt a weak pulse. The hobbit was alive, if only just. The two friends hurried back to where Aragorn's horse stood, patiently waiting for his master. Gimli rode his horse towards the pair, and wordlessly passed Aragorn Pippin's cloak, Merry was now wearing his own, and Gandalf had wrapped his own white robes around the hobbit, protecting him from the chilling wind. Aragorn mounted his horse and spread out Pippin's cloak. Gently, Legolas passed Pippin's unmoving form up to Aragorn, who wrapped the hobbit warmly in his own cloak, before pulling Pippin's body close to his own and spreading his own cloak over the two of them. As he felt the warmth of Aragorn's' body against his, Pippin groaned a little and struggled weakly, thinking he was still captive. Aragorn bent over and whispered comfortingly into the hobbits ear.

"Shh, Pippin, it's alright, it's only me, it's Strider. It'll be alright. We've come to rescue you and Merry"

Upon hearing his best friend's name, Pippin opened his eyes, before hastily shutting them again. Had the world always been that bright? Slowly he opened his eyes again, to find that it hurt much less to see now. He looked up, and saw Strider. His eyes prickled with tears.

"Strider" he whispered, before starting to cough. His chest hurt, everything hurt and Pippin whimpered slightly.

"Strider," he whispered again, "its hurts. Where is Merry?"

"He's with Gandalf, he's fine. We'll get you all nice and warmed up soon, I promise." Aragorn was shocked when he heard the next thing Pippin said

"Why aren't you with Frodo? He has more need of you than us"

"Frodo and Sam left without us, and we knew that Frodo couldn't trust us anymore, so we came after you. We wouldn't abandon you to torture, and a near certain death. Boromir wanted it this way" Aragorn told him, skirting around the topic of Boromir's fall. Boromir had died defending Merry and Pippin, and he wouldn't tarnish their memory of him. Pippin bowed his head and leaned against Aragorn as Legolas mounted his own horse, riding in front of Gimli. Aragorn and Legolas turned their two horses and rode back towards Gandalf. As they rode, Aragorn heard Pippin raise his voice again.

"So Boromir is dead. I was scared that had happened. I was scared you all had died, fighting the Orcs" Pippin faded of at the memory of the trek across Rohan.

"He died the way any solder would be proud of, with a sword in his hand, protecting his friends" Aragorn told Pippin, who sobbed.

"He wouldn't have died if I was able to fight myself. I could've helped him"

"You did, Pippin, you did help him. You and Merry tried to protect him once he was injured, and you only stopped when you were taken. We saw the orcs you and Merry killed, Pippin." Aragorn told Pippin, reminding him of the few orcs that they had stabbed before their knives had been taken. Pippin sighed. He missed his little knife; to him it helped bring the quest into retrospective.

"I doubt I'll ever see that knife again, or the leaf from Lorien I dropped on the way here' Pippin sadly conceded. Legolas heard the comment and glanced sideway at Aragorn, who was grinning, with one hand resting his hand on the two small knives tucked into his belt. As they approached Gandalf's side, the white wizard broke Saruman's staff, rendering him powerless. Gandalf turned to Aragorn and Legolas, his eyes lingering for a moment of Pippin, and Théoden and Eomer.

"Our job is done, he is powerless now, and we needn't fear him" he told the group. Gimli snorted.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish, if you ask me"

"Let's away from this forsaken place" Eomer agreed, and Théoden nodded. Gandalf nodded and nudged Shadowfax into a canter, leading the group away from the tower of Isengard. Aragorn checked Pippin again as they rode, and discovered that he had fallen asleep. He nudged his horse alongside Gandlaf as the hurriedly left.

"Can we stop at the earliest possible time" he asked. Gandalf turned, and Aragorn noticed that Merry was also asleep.

"How is Peregrin?" the wizard asked. Aragorn was shocked at how weary he looked, but acted like he hadn't noticed.

"Weak, beaten. His pulse is extremely weak, and he is badly injured. I want to give him as much care as possible, as quickly as possible. Has Merry said anything?"

"He was silent most of the time, Saruman made a comment about how easy it was to break Pippin, and how when Pippin dies it will drag Merry down as well, and I think that scared him."

"Pippin blames himself for Boromir's death, I told him he did his best, and that I knew he and Merry killed orcs defending Boromir. "

"Did they?"

"Yes, the daggers they had were different to the knives anyone else had that fought that day, and you could tell the difference in the knife wounds the orcs had, so one or both of the hobbits was using a knife on the orcs to some effect'

"Did Pippin say much else?'

"He was the one that dropped the clasp for his cloak, and he thought we would've gone after Frodo and Sam"

"It was not our road, but it was theirs. We will stop for the night once we have left the walls of Isengard, away from the flood" Gandalf told Aragorn. Aragorn nodded and glanced once over his shoulder, taking in the sight of Marry and Pippin's prison, before riding out the gateway and away from the flood.

**A.N. Yay, the Hobbits have been saved, but will they survive? Reviews please**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Gandalf was deep in discussion with some of the Ents when Aragorn looked up from where Merry lay. Gimli was crouched beside them, his hands shaking slightly as he lit the small campfire they were permitted to make. Gandalf had asked permission from the Ents, and they had been that fascinated by the Hobbits that the fire was for that they didn't really think twice about it, once Gandalf had convinced them that they weren't Orcs. Aragorn had settled the two hobbits on a blanket beside the fire, knowing that they would be much more relaxed if they were close to each other. A agreement seemed to have taken place between Gandalf and the Ents, as all but one strode off into the depths of the forest, and the one remaining strode to the edge of the clearing and stood their. Gandalf returned to the rest of the group a small smile on his face.

"Treebeard here," he gestured towards the Ent that stood at the edge of the clearing, "has allowed us to stay at his home for as long as it is required until the hobbits are well enough to travel."

"This is his home?" asked Legolas, who was overawed by the Ents.

Gandalf nodded, "Ent houses never have a roof and walls, they usually are just clearings." Aragorn nodded and returned to his examination of Merry. Legolas had fetched some water, which had been set upon the campfire to boil. Aragorn had a fresh pouch of healing supplies, which he had brought suspecting the hobbits would need. Merry had bad bruising to his chest, abdomen and legs, and deep whip welts on his abdomen and back. There were also less severe burns to his legs. It could've been a lot worse. Aragorn was pulling a little Athelas that he had found in Helms Deep from the pouch when Merry awoke.

"Strider, where are we?" he asked, his voice sounding tired

"In the forest of Fangorn. I'm just treating your wounds. Hold still" Aragorn gently told the hobbit as he bruised the herbs slightly, letting their pungent odor seep through the clearing, before throwing them into the boiling water. He added some of the strips of cloth that he would use as bandages, before wetting some other cloth and cleaning the wounds with the herb infused water. Merry stiffened slightly when the cloth first touched his skin, wincing at the water's sting, before the odor of Athelas relaxed him. Aragorn hummed as he worked, checking and cleaning each wound carefully, before bandaging it carefully. While Aragorn was treating Merry, Legolas and Gandalf sat with Pippin, who was whimpering in his sleep. As Aragorn finished with Merry by handing the Hobbit a change of clothes that Aragorn had thoughtfully grabbed from the hobbit's pack. Théoden had ordered some of his fastest riders to Parth Galen to collect the remaining packs, but they had not due for another day or two when Aragorn had left Helms Deep. Merry smiled drowsily as he returned from changing, already feeling refreshed and much better. He settled down on his blanket, planning to watch Aragorn heal Pippin, but he fell asleep after not long.

Aragorn surveyed Pippin's wounds critically. By all rights, the hobbit should already be dead. He had heard of Elves succumbing to injuries such as the hobbit carried, but yet, somehow he wasn't surprised. Neither, it seemed, was Gandalf.

"Here lies another example of a hobbit's toughness" he commented as he watched Aragorn carefully clean the small Hobbit's wounds. Pippin was covered in scratches, made by orc knives which had been probably been poisoned. He was also covered in whip lashes, many of which were still bleeding or had at some stage, and bruises. Aragorn felt gently at the younger hobbit's ribs, and found that some had broken; he guessed that it had occurred during a beating of some sort. Aragorn carefully treated the hobbit's ribs, before looking him over again for any injuries that the hobbit could have that he had overlooked the first time. He was taken by how skinny and light the hobbit was, especially since he had only been captive for 9 days. Aragorn then poured a cup of the now cooling athelas water and leant Pippin's limp form against him, gently pouring the warm liquid into the hobbits mouth. Pippin commenced coughing weakly, but otherwise remained still. Aragon poured the entire cup of water into Pippin's mouth, before placing the cup down and cradling the sick hobbit in his arms. Legolas chose this time to look upwards at the sky. 

"It is getting late. I will stand guard for the first part of the night"

"And I the second" Gimli whispered, his deep voice strangely high pitched as if he was struggling not to cry.

"I will take the third shift, if my king allows it" Eomer said, catching on to Leoglas's idea.

'I do allow it, and I too will retire. I bid you a goodnight' Théoden moved to the other side of the clearing, and Eomer and Gimli followed him, while Legolas strode into the trees, searching for a good watch post. Aragorn smiled at his friend's subtleness.

Gandalf let out a low chuckle, before dropping his gaze to Pippin, cradled in Aragorn's lap.

"Do you think he will live?"

"It's difficult to say. It depends on how long ago he was poisoned. If it was only within the last two or three days, then he might make it, but anything longer than four days, untreated, it's highly unlikely he will survive. I've seen elves die in less than one day after getting poisoned with a poison similar to this, so he's been lucky to make it this far."

"I really hope we don't have to tell Frodo that his cousin is dead after he gets rid of the ring"

"I think there's a high possibly that we'll have to, whether we want to or not" Aragorn muttered, his head bowed. It had been bad enough when Boromir died, but at least it had been reasonably quick. Pippin's death would be slow and painful, and Aragorn, Merry and the others would have to watch as he slowly faded away. Gandalf blinked and felt his eyes fill with tears. Pippin was such a bright light in the darkness that engulfed the world in these dark times; it would be horrible for that light to be put out.

Aragorn sat with Pippin for all of that night, keeping the hobbit warm, and administering the athelas water that seemed to be preserving the small hobbits life. By morning, Pippin's pulse had been a little stronger and the wounds had begun to heal. Merry awoke early, refreshed by his restful slumber, only to find Aragorn grim faced and serious, holding his cousin gently in his arms, singing a slow song in elvish. Merry wished he understood what Aragorn was singing about, and was reminded of their time in Lorien, when the elves had sung their lament for Gandalf. A sudden panic rose in his chest like a dragon rising from his slumber, causing him to gasp. Aragorn looked up, startled by the sudden noise, but relaxed as he saw it was only Merry.

"Merry, what is it? Are you well?" He asked, concerned at the look of pure terror of the Halfling's face.

"How is Pippin, is he alright?" Merry asked, his voice shaking slightly

"As well as can be expected, what is the matter?" Merry bowed his head and blushed, feeling suddenly very foolish.

"I heard you singing in elvish, and it reminded me of what the elves sung in Lorien for Gandalf, and" Merry failed off, unable to finish his sentence

"You though I was singing a lament for Pippin" Aragorn finished the sentence, his head bowed. He didn't blame Merry for panicking. To a being not familiar with the elvish tongue, their was little difference between a song of healing, and a song of lament, especially as Merry had only heard one, obviously assuming the differences were not in the main words, but the achievements of the one who had died. Obviously, the achievements of a young Hobbit from The Shire would be different to the achievements of Gandalf the Grey.

"It was an easy mistake to make. You are unfamiliar with the elvish language. I am sorry; I should not have sung such a tune." Aragorn apologized, but Merry shook it off.

"It is alright, I was just alarmed that is all. Has Pippin made much improvement?"

"He is a little stronger, but the change is rather small. He has a long way to go until he is fully recovered, and he is, by no stretch of the imagination, not out of the woods yet." Aragorn closely surveyed the expression of Merry's face as the hobbit sat a little closer to him. His face still held hope, although his expression was grim. Aragorn rightly guessed that there was quite a bit of thinking going on within the hobbits mind.

"Strider, do you think Pip will survive?" Merry asked after a moments pause. Aragorn gazed for a moment into the hobbits, debating with himself what words he was going to use to describe Pippin's condition.

"I cannot say, for sure. I have known elves that have died mere hours after being injured with a weapon carrying the same poison as Pippin was, and yet I have heard of many elves and other beings who have survived. Tell me, when was Pippin injured?"

Merry paused for a moment, counting the days. They had been fine up until their arrival at Isengard, and that had been where things had got painful, for the hobbits anyway. Merry recalled the days that they had spent captive, recalled each individual beating and torture session, trying to recall Pippin being threatened with a poisoned knife. Drawing blank, Merry recalled the times Pippin had been dragged from the cell alone, and finally narrowed it down to one occasion.

"About five days ago, I think, I can't be too sure though" Merry shook his head. Pippin had carried that wound for a possible four days before it was treated. Aragorn fought to keep his lips together, urging himself not to drop his jaw. He couldn't believe it; the small hobbit had lived with that poison flowing through his veins for that long. He looked down at said hobbit, lying in his arms. Pippin's skin was pale, and their were shadows under his eyes, but otherwise his face was peaceful, and showed no evidence of what his body was going through. Aragorn silently said a prayer for the brave little hobbit. If anything deserved to live after being put through this ordeal, it was Pippin.

**A.N. Well, I hope you like it. More is on the way. Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Gandalf and the various other members of the group awoke to an interesting sight. Aragorn, with Pippin cradled in his lap, leaning against a tree, obviously resting. Merry was sitting close beside him, humming a soft song. Gandalf was familiar enough with hobbits that this was not a cheerful song that a hobbit would usually hum, but a soft, quiet song that was often sung by a hobbit whose close kin was in ailing health, in other words, it was a quite appropriate song for Merry to be humming. They watched as Merry gently brushed some of his cousin's hair from his face, the protective instinct that Merry had always possessed over his baby cousin stronger than ever as Pippin lay, near death. Aragorn stirred as Merry moved to cover Pippin with a blanket and smiled to himself, unable to believe that he was able to doze off. He smiled at Merry, who was strait faced as he stoked up the fire again. Aragorn had never seen the hobbit so serious, and it showed him how much the war, and their time in captivity, had changed the two hobbits. Aragorn moved to check Pippin's pulse, and was surprised to notice how much it had improved. Shifting slightly, he noticed he was being watched, or rather, Merry was being watched by the other members of the little group. Clearing his throat slightly, Aragorn got Merry's attention.

"Merry, Can you watch Pippin for a bit. I need to talk to Gandalf for a moment" Aragorn asked. Merry nodded, and helped Aragorn shift Pippin onto the blanket covered ground. Pippin whimpered slightly, but was otherwise still. Aragorn rose and crossed the clearing to where Gandalf and the others were standing.

"How is Pippin?" Legolas asked; his voice hopeful. Aragorn let a wan smile show through.

"He seems to be better, but it is difficult to say. Merry will take good care of him. What should we do today?"

"It depends on your friend's health. If you think it is unsafe to move him, we will linger, but if he is able to be moved, we should return to the Golden Hall." Théoden told them, Gandalf nodded his agreement. Aragorn bowed his head.

"Pippin is capable to be moved, but I am strongly against this. However time is pressing and we should not linger any longer than we have to."

"We shall stay for another day then, until the master holbytla is well enough to travel" Théoden concluded, settling himself on a log. Legolas and Gimli went over to Merry and Pippin spent the majority of the morning their, helping Merry and Aragorn care for Pippin as much as they could, and also trying to lighten the mood, although they both confessed that Pippin himself was much better at it then they were.

All in all, it was a fairly uneventful day, with Pippin occasionally returning to consciousness, only to drift off again after a brief period of time. As time wore on, his condition slowly improved, heightening the hopes of those around him, especially Merry. By nightfall Aragorn declared Pippin well enough to travel, so it was decided that they would set out a dawn the next day. Treebeard offered to show the company the quickest way to Edoras, but Gandalf politely refused. The old Ent was not fussed, and settled himself with interrogating Merry and Pippin, who was awake at the time, about the Shire, and if they had, along their travels, seen any Entwives. Both hobbits were sorry to admit to the Ent, who they both liked extremely, that they had indeed not seen any Entwives, but they would watch for them. As Treebeard strode off into the forest, Pippin settled down again, and Merry assumed he'd dosed off again, and Merry asked Gandalf about the possibility of their being Entwives in the Old Forest. Aragorn chuckled at Merry's eagerness to please the Ent, and was reminded of Sam, who would've, most probably, been completely overawed by the entire lot of Ents. He glanced across at were Merry sat.

"If I didn't know any better, Merry, I would've thought you were Sam, what with you going on about plants and all." He joked. Merry laughed, seeing the funny side of the joke.

"Ahh, Strider. I have always cared about how things grow, and about plants. Every self respecting Hobbit does. Every hobbit has a strong love for the growth of particular plants"

"He means pipe weed when he says that" Pippin chimed in, causing the entire company to start laughing. Merry laughed the hardest.

"Oh, Pippin, you haven't said something like that since, well, since you told Saruman that Gandalf looked better in White." Merry burst into gales of laughter again, and was quickly joined by the others. Pippin blushed.

"I'm assuming that the comment didn't go down all that well?" asked Legolas, his eyes shining with tears of laughter.

"Well, no, it didn't, but you should've heard it. He sounded like Sam, you know, all nervous and polite 'No offence, Mr. Saruman, but Gandalf looks so much better in white than you do" Merry broke into chuckles again, and Pippin smiled.

"When you say it like that, it does sound rather like something Sam would say" he admitted, "gosh, I miss him, and Frodo too" he finished sadly, before snuggling down into his blankets and falling asleep again. The company fell into silence again, each member occupied with their own thoughts.

**A****.N. A slight reprieve from all the angst and torture, which I hope you like. Please Review **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Aragorn awoke early the next morning. Stretching his long legs out, he looked across the clearing at where the two hobbits were lying blissfully asleep. Pippin had woken up crying during the night, tormented of his time in captivity, and it had taken Aragorn a while to calm him again. Aragorn shuddered. Pippin's eyes had been so filled with terror that Aragorn himself had been frightened of whatever was scaring the hobbit. Aragorn's thoughts turned to their return to Edoras. He planned to sleep close to the hobbit, just in case it happened again, as Aragorn knew it would. He would also have to tell Merry of the incident as the hobbit, still exhausted from his time in captivity, had slept right through it, which Pippin had confessed being shocked at, as if it was the first time he had really been scared, and not had Merry their to comfort him. As Aragorn thought about it, that probably was the case for Pippin. He was still young; he recalled one of the other hobbits saying he wasn't even considered to be of age by his own people yet, let alone a mature adult. Carefully, he checked the fire was completely extinguished, before rising and checking on the horses. He was stroking the thick mane of his own horse when a small voice interrupted his musing.

"Good morning, Strider." Aragorn whipped around, only to see Pippin standing there, grinning widely. Aragorn, however, quickly overcame his shock.

"Pippin, I didn't hear you follow me. You should be resting; it is a long ride from Fangorn to Edoras. Pippin beamed.

"I don't mind. I can't believe I snuck up on Strider, as in, THE Strider." Pippin's grin widened as he laughed, and Aragorn's heart leapt at the sound, something he had not heard in quiet some time, since before Gandalf died. Aragorn let himself smile.

"Yes, you caught me. Tell me, Pippin, how do you feel today. It seems odd to see you standing and creeping through the forest after a Ranger when yesterday you were fighting to stay alive."

"Well, Strider, I feel surprisingly well, considering what happened," Pippin broke of and shuddered, "but I guess it would be odd. I woke up this morning and I felt great, like I could take on the world," Pippin tried to step forward, but stumbled on his shaking legs, "Well, at least a couple of Orcs." Aragorn laughed.

"Small steps, Pippin, small steps." He smiled, leaving the horses tethered as he walked to pippin's side, taking his hand, and walking with him back to the clearing. By this time, both Gandalf and Legolas had awoken, as had Merry. Their jaws all dropped as they saw Pippin walking, although unsteadily, towards them. He had gathered his momentum, however, as he reached the group, he was able to walk over to Merry unaided. Merry laughed.

"Where have you been, Pip?" he asked. Pippin smiled.

"Sneaking"

"Where?"

"On Strider, I caught him unawares" Pippin commenced laughing again, and Merry joined in. Legolas turned his gaze on Aragorn as Gimli, Théoden and Eomer emerged, ready to return to the relative comfort of Edoras. Aragorn struggled for a moment to think of something to say.

"I was busy with the horses" he protested, Pippin rolled his eyes, and Legolas laughed.

"That's what he says" Legolas whispered to the hobbit's, who both laughed even harder, but had to stop as it hurt too much. Aragorn was about to throw a retort back at Legolas when Gandalf stepped in.

"Right, we should pack up camp, the we can leave." He suggested, but for Legolas and Aragorn it was more like an order. Grumbling slightly, Legolas, Aragorn, Eomer and Gimli packed up the campsite, erasing any evidence of their ever being there. While this was happening, Gandalf readied the horses, and Merry and Pippin rested, worn out by their over exertion. The riders were quickly up into their saddles, with Pippin riding with Aragorn and Merry with Gandalf. They rode, single file, through the Forest of Fangorn, until they reached the plain of Rohan, which made the hobbit's remember the horrible trek across the plain on the way to Isengard. The riders took their heels to their horse's sides, and soon they were off, galloping across the plain towards warm beds, a hot meal, and a refreshing bath.

**A.N. Only one chapter to go. I don't really like**** this chapter, but it covered things that needed to happen, so I'm happy with it.. As always, please review **


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue –A little over One Month Later

Frodo sat, propped up with pillows, as he recovered from his ordeal. Beside him sat Sam, listening keenly to the tale they were being told. Merry and Pippin faced their friends, telling them of their capture, trek across Rohan, and the days following their arrival at Isengard. Merry was doing most of the talking, which Frodo found interesting. As Merry covered their dramatic rescue, glossing over the more gruesome details, and skipping over Pippin's near fatal injury at Pippin's request, Frodo spoke up.

"It's a good story, Merry, but what about Pippin. What was he doing all this time?" he asked, Sam nodded.

"There are some holes in the story, Merry" he admitted. Merry looked apologetically at Pippin. Who groaned and winced. Merry grimaced sympathetically, dreading telling Frodo about the incident about the Witch King.

"They're going to find out at some stage, Pip" Merry reminded him. Pippin nodded, still grumbling.

"At least yours haven't scarred up really bad" Pippin complained. It was true, Merry's wounds had faded well, and were now only faint pink lines, or completely healed, and it was very likely that he would be left without any physical scarring, according to Strider, save for the scar on his eyebrow that he sustained during the journey. Pippin's on the other hand, were still obvious and painful, and Strider had regretfully told Pippin that the wounds would likely never heal, especially one wound in Pippins side that was deeper than the others, and the ranger had identified it as where the poison had been introduced to Pippin's body. Some of Pippin's bruises were still obvious, and the cuts left from the whip lashings were now long, angry red lines along Pippin's body. Pippin scowled slightly, before removing his tunic. Frodo and Sam's jaws dropped as the saw the evidence f Pippin's torture. Frodo, weak as he was, crawled across the bed to embrace his cousin. Pippin stayed silent as Merry told the other hobbits what had happened to Pippin, as far as Strider could tell, leaving the poisoned wound till last, while Frodo looked over Pippin's wounds for himself. Merry trailed off when he reached the details of Pippin's near death injury. Frodo saved him from bringing it up

"What's this scar here, it looks like it's the worst, but you haven't mentioned it?"

"Because I didn't want you to know about. You'd already been through enough" Pippin told Frodo, his voice low. Frodo looked alarmed, glancing from one of his cousin's to the other.

"When we were in captive, I was tortured, beaten, knocked down and kicked so hard that I never thought I'd get up again. The only reason I was trying to survive was because Merry would be alone, and I never thought anyone could survive like that alone. As part of it, I was knifed. Not too bad, but still badly enough to hurt. Over the next few days, I felt sicker and sicker, until I told Merry that I was sure I'd been poisoned. It turned out, I was right" Pippin's head was bowed while he spoke, and Frodo enveloped him in a tight embrace, and Sam sobbed quietly. Merry took up Pippin's story when the subtle shaking in Pippin's shoulders told him his friend was crying onto Frodo's shoulder.

"It was a bit of a struggle to keep Pippin awake after that. Saruman didn't really help all that much. He didn't really appreciate Pippin telling him that Gandalf looked better in white, and well, he didn't wake up again after Saruman smacked him one." In spite of himself, Frodo laughed, as did Sam. After a moment, Merry and Pippin joined in.

"Anyway, we were thrown in those barrels and chucked out a window. Pippin was in the last couple that needed to be checked. Apparently he woke up and talked to Aragorn for a brief time, but passed out. After we left Isengard we set up a camp in Fangorn forest, and Strider spent the whole night cradling Pippin in his arms, and it was only the next day that Pippin was responsive. The day after that we left Fangorn." Merry concluded the take as Pippin pulled on his tunic again. Seeing that Pippin was preoccupied with his tunic; Merry leaned over and whispered in Frodo's ear.

"Don't tell Pippin you know this, but Aragorn told me I should tell you that Pippin's been having nightmares about being captive." Frodo's eyes widened, and then he solemnly nodded. At that moment, Strider decided to walk in, and he smiled as he spotted the four hobbits crowded together on the bed.

"What have you been talking about?" he asked them

"How you saved Pippin's backside back at Isengard" Merry cheerfully told him, causing Pippin to blush slightly. Aragorn grinned. Merry had been making a lot of effort to cheer Pippin up before Frodo and Sam arrived, and now they were all working together to cheer each other up.

"Ah, yes. The number of times in those first couple of hours after we pulled Pippin that there was a dying hobbit before me. I am very thankful that I am mistaken" Aragorn reminisced. The hobbits beamed up at him as he continued on his way, smiling slightly. As he left, he heard Merry raise his voice.

"I think we can safely say that, to use Gandalf's phrase, we are all examples of hobbits toughness" their were sounds of agreement from the room, and Aragorn smiled, thinking back on what the four small beings had done for Middle earth. He concluded that Merry could not have said a truer thing

**A.N. The End. Well, what do you think? This story was supposed to be a lot shorter, but I think it still turned out okay. Pippin's angsty side came out again in this chapter, but I think it was appropriate, or maybe not? I hope you like it. Please review and tell me what you think **

**Another note. Thank you to the first couple reviewers who reviewed this fic, and alerted me to the MANY grammatical mistakes I have made throughout this story. I am sorry for the errors' existence, and I do not make any excuse for them other than my own poor grammar and spelling skills. My thanks to ****WendWriter**** and ****Tulip Proudfoot**** for their constructive criticism. Your assistance and suggestions were greatly appreciated.**


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